After our 8-day Rhine River cruise ended, we disembarked in Basel, Switzerland (pronounced "BOZZ-ull"). Even though we were staying in Basel for 3 nights, we decided to do a daytrip up to Lucerne with a gal we met during the cruise, just for fun. Am I glad we did!

We took the hour-long train ride and enjoyed the lush scenery along the way. Switzerland is definitely a country I'd like to explore more in the future. Of course, it's being added to a very long bucket list of mine!

Anyway, Lucerne has to be one of the most beautiful cities I've ever seen. Of course, it also helped that it was a bright, sunny day. The top two photos are of a very picturesque covered bridge that spans an inlet of the lake.

I just loved all of the flowers hanging from it. As you can see in the photo to the right, there were wax begonias, red geraniums, million bells (Calibrachoa), and a chartreuse sweet potato vine. What a stunning combination! Click on the photo for a larger view.

The bottom photo is more of beautiful Lucerne, complete with swans swimming here and there.

We did some sightseeing and shopping that day, then hopped back on the train to Basel, where we saw more beautiful gardens. Stay tuned...